Little Naches elk - where do they winter?

[Dipsnort]

I am a former rifle hunter of many seasons for elk in the Little Naches unit and have switched to archery (and to the Westside) since Little Naches is not open for early season archery and the higher mountains are snowed in by the time the late archery season rolls around.  My question is this: where does the herd go when the snows push them down?  In the lowlands near hwy. 410?  To the Joe Watt Canyon feeding site?  To the Umptanum area?  I'd like to do some scouting this year with the potential to switch back to Eastside archery next year.  Any help would be appreciated.  If you'd prefer to send a PM, please feel free.  Thanks.

[boneaddict]

Anywhere between the Little Naches and the Wenas off of Clemens CLEAR to the Yakima River. Christmas day 2 years ago, I had 500 head of elk migrate passed my house in the Wenas.   I doubt many get to Watt.  They do however fill into the Observatory/Umptanum and anywhere along Manastash.  Will  soley depend on how much snow there is.  Cows and spikes travel farther than bulls.

[gasman]

They go to where ever you cant.........

Most the elk go to units that are closed during late archery, like Umtanum and Bethel. There are quite a few elk in the Nile unit, but so are most of the archers in the area.

[Dipsnort]

They go to where ever you cant.........

Most the elk go to units that are closed during late archery, like Umtanum and Bethel. There are quite a few elk in the Nile unit, but so are most of the archers in the area.

That about sums it up, doesn't it?  I'm sure it has taken years to perfect but it's amazing how the Fish & Game Department has been able to wiggle the rules and open areas around to maximize profit and minimize opportunity.  The only real hope I hold out for harvesting a good elk (ok let's be honest...ANY elk!) one day is to get lucky enough to draw the right special permit.  But then again, minimal opportunity to draw and lots of opportunity to pay to enter the drawing.  Makes me ill every time I think about it.

Thanks for the tips guys, I should have expected those answers.

[jackelope]

lots of opportunities for big bulls on the wetside over the counter.

That about sums it up, doesn't it?  I'm sure it has taken years to perfect but it's amazing how the Fish & Game Department has been able to wiggle the rules and open areas around to maximize profit and minimize opportunity.

or to prevent a slaughter of elk on the winter range.
 

[norsepeak]

Had several small herds 10-20 animals wintering all around my house this winter.  This winter was mild for the elk, a good number stayed higher this year, including some nice bulls that wintered up around the 4-5K range.

[Dipsnort]

lots of opportunities for big bulls on the wetside over the counter.

That about sums it up, doesn't it?  I'm sure it has taken years to perfect but it's amazing how the Fish & Game Department has been able to wiggle the rules and open areas around to maximize profit and minimize opportunity.

or to prevent a slaughter of elk on the winter range.
 

I'm smart enough to know that in order to maintain the quality of the herds we hunters shouldn't have the free reign we had years ago.  My comments simply sum up my general frustration with the money-making game while trying to convince us of maximum opportunity that quite obviously does not exist, particularly to the guy who has so many responsibilities that he can't find weeks on end to scout and doesn't want to drop a few thousand $$ for a guide to have a better chance at a spike.

[gasman]

Don't get me wrong, there are elk in all the units, just mostly small herds.
I hear many times how the archery guys get the best season. I call BS........

I hunt the Yakima area and have for many years, and would have a hard time switching to any other place for elk.

Here is my take on the Yakima archery hunts.

Early season: Sucks, unless you have a horse or hire someone to pack you in the back country. (If you do, i envy you, I do not).
Open units are Nile, Cowechee, Rimrock, and Bumping. Most of the elk in the early season reside up in the high country and the ones that are down at the lower elevations (Rutting Grounds= Little Naches, Umtanum, and Bethel) are closed to hunting except by permit only, very few permits i mite add. When i say High country i refer to the high lake areas around Gout Rocks, White Pass, American Ridge, etc.
yes i do know there are elk in the lower elevations of these units but you have 70% of the hunters chasing 10% of the animals.

Late Archery: Not that much better.
Open units are Little Naches, Nile, Rimrock and the upper portion of Cowechee (do not remember the elk are number). Little Naches holds few elk during the late season for they have moved to Umtanum for the feed and open meadows. Nile hold the best number of elk and the most hunter of the whole area. It turns in to a small city during late season and turns in to a war zone. Me, i stay out of Nile during the late season because i would rather hunt fewer animals than deal with all the stupid people out there.
Rimrock, to much snow and the elk move on to Bethel for the feed and open meadows (Bethel is closed to hunting). The WDFW changed the Coweche late hunt to an elk area and closed the better portion of the unit to hunting the late season so the elk are not harassed on there way to the feed station. I call BS, that was the better place with the most success, so they cut it off and brought down the success rate.         F%^#ers 

I can go to Little Nachese and see elk any day of the week during early season. Even when i am only hunting across the HWY. You would think that with all the elk in the area it would not matter which side of the Hwy you hunted on, but it does. 

And to top if off they took a day away from the early hunt to give "ONE" permit to a riffle hunter  How RETARDED......

[jackelope]

if all the easiest hunts were in the best units at the best times of year, there wouldn't be any elk or mule deer left to hunt.
would you rather have all those crazy nile hunters in the bethel killing the crap out of the elk on their winter range?
that makes no sense at all from a conservation stand point.
it's not all about being easy.

[colockumelk]

The state of Washington and us especially as hunters are faced with a very big dillema.  On the one hand we demand quality hunting like you see in other states but at the same time we also demand the right to hunt elk every year OTC.  And then we (that is me included) get pissed when both do not happen.

The simple fact of the matter is we can not have our cake and eat it to in this instance.  We have too many hunters chasing not enough elk on not enough land.  Some on here hit the nail on the head.  If we had those quality hunts that we crave and longer seasons during the peak times we wouldn't have any elk or deer left.

So our choices are simple.  Either we have quality hunting but permit only much like Oregon does, or we have OTC with very restrictive seasons.  In order for the WDFW to properly manage the herds they have to manage one of two things.  Hunting numbers or season lengths.  It sucks but that's the way it is.

[Red Dawg]

its simple just look for the other 50,000 people on clemans waiting for them to come through. Ive never seen so much orange in my life. Good luck. You will see hunter orange from head to toe, I think i even saw one gentleman with hunter orange boots on.

[jackelope]

I think i even saw one gentleman with hunter orange boots on.

that was me...sorry if i got in your way.

 

[Red Dawg]

I knew it was a coasty

[Thenewguy]

I think i even saw one gentleman with hunter orange boots on.

that was me...sorry if i got in your way.

 

No no he said "gentlemen" =-?